When Spring Cleaning Becomes Summer Cleaning

written by

By Jennifer Smith

Spring-cleaning. It never seems to happen during spring, does it? Now that summer has officially arrived, our time indoors is likely to decrease while our clutter is likely to grow exponentially. We have a few tips to help refresh your living space so that you have a spick-and-span place to return to after a hot day at the beach.

1. Collect clutter items such as old magazines, books, and children’s toys to donate. Not only will you have more open space, but also you can help out your local library, hospital, or even our troops. When was the last time that cleaning felt so good?

2. Change out seasonal items such as shower curtains, smoke detector batteries, and light bulbs. Consider changing light bulbs to compact fluorescent (CFL) blubs to conserve energy. The change will make an impact on your electricity bill, as well as the environment. That’s a win-win.

3. Organize seasonal items so that winter items go into storage. By going through your clothes, you can open up closet space and sort through items you no longer want. Remember the “love it, hate it, like it” system where items you hate are put into a bag for donation, items you love are organized to go back in your closet, and items you like can be put into storage to reassess when you have more time.

4. Organize and label your cleaning supplies so that you have an accurate inventory of items you need around the house. If a cleaning emergency pops up, you’d be surprised to know how many non-toxic, common household items can be used instead of harsh chemicals. Did you know that you can stop an annoying faucet leak by tying a string around the end of the faucet so that the water flows down the string rather than dripping until you can get it fixed?

5. Keep a daily routine of quick chores to keep the house tidy. If you clean as you cook or get into a habit of recycling magazines as soon as you are done with them, you will prevent disorder around the house and the need to clean it.